


The Metamorphosis of Dean Winchester: Part I

by allthebeautifulthings9828



Series: October Fic Fest [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Wings, Castiel Loves Dean, Dean Has A Wing Kink, Dean Has Powers, Dean Loves Castiel, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Ficlet Collection, Forests, Friendship/Love, Georgia, Hunters & Hunting, Love, M/M, One Shot, One Shot Collection, POV Dean Winchester, Post-Mark of Cain, Psychic Abilities, Psychic Dean, Romance, Sam Ships It, Sneaking Around, Team Free Will, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, The Darkness - Freeform, Walks In The Woods, Werewolves, Wing Kink, Winged Castiel, hunting werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:29:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4912432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthebeautifulthings9828/pseuds/allthebeautifulthings9828
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the Mark of Cain gone and The Darkness devouring the planet, Dean had somehow awoken from it all with the veil lifted from his eyes. He saw ghosts. He knew exactly where pods of mermaids swam in the ocean. Aliens, well, yes they were out there but they weren't interested in the colossal fuck up of Earth. Vampires, werewolves, and every other creature known to hunters (and many unknown)--yes, he could sniff them out easily if he tried. The putrid odor so intrinsic to demons? It was horrifyingly strong if they got within a few blocks. He didn't know why it happened or how, but it really was like having a veil lifted from his limited human sight. But all the things Dean saw since it happened never held a candle to the creature walking beside him, blue eyes fixed straight ahead. He stared. He couldn't help it. Shit, he'd never seen light so bright but so gentle, shimmering off the enormous black wings arching over his shoulders. Patches of liquid black light feathers were missing and left painfully scarred and burned flesh behind. The signs of periodic torture were everywhere but so were beautiful signs of a creature too powerful to be killed that easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Metamorphosis of Dean Winchester: Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Part II will post tomorrow, October 2, at 8 pm EST so watch my October Fic Fest series at http://archiveofourown.org/series/321491 for more!

"I don't understand this damn map. It's like some kid made it up and drew it with crayons," groused Sam, turning the crumpled page around in his hands again.

The three of them stood at the mouth of a path snaking off through the north Georgia wilderness. Sam, a few yards ahead of his brother, had brought them to a much-needed "regular" job busting up a werewolf den to give their brains a rest from fighting The Darkness. Neither Dean nor Castiel gave his grousing much mind. He didn't know they were working through problems of their own. All right, it wasn't a problem to Dean. Not at all. He was ... entranced....

With the Mark of Cain gone and The Darkness devouring the planet, Dean had somehow awoken from it all with the veil lifted from his eyes. He saw ghosts. He knew exactly where pods of mermaids swam in the ocean. Aliens, well, yes they were out there but they weren't interested in the colossal fuck up of Earth. Vampires, werewolves, and every other creature known to hunters (and many unknown)--yes, he could sniff them out easily if he tried. The putrid odor so intrinsic to demons? It was horrifyingly strong if they got within a few blocks. He didn't know why it happened or how, but it really was like having a veil lifted from his limited human sight.

But all the things Dean saw since it happened never held a candle to the creature walking beside him, blue eyes fixed straight ahead. He stared. He couldn't help it. Shit, he'd never seen light so bright but so gentle, shimmering off the enormous black wings arching over his shoulders. Patches of liquid black light feathers were missing and left painfully scarred and burned flesh behind. The signs of periodic torture were everywhere but so were beautiful signs of a creature too powerful to be killed that easy.

"Wait, I think I got it." Sam, having no idea what was happening, shrugged the strap of his shotgun higher on his shoulder and marched ahead. "This way. A mile north and then half a mile west."

"I can see in the dark if we don't get there fast enough," offered Castiel with a knowing glance at the sky through the canopy of treetops.

Chuckling, Sam looked back at him. "You got cat eyes, Cas?"

"In a manner of speaking," he deadpaned.

They walked on but neither Dean nor Castiel spoke to each other. In fact, it seemed Castiel avoided speaking to or even looking at Dean in a strikingly human manner of shame. He behaved as if he'd been come upon naked by surprise instead of just an angel whose human charge developed an ability to see his true essence. It was probably like being stripped naked, Dean reasoned, walking along and kicking tree roots in careless steps.

He stole another look through the corner of his eye. Wings so large they dragged the ground behind the angel still astonished the hunter even after a week of his new sight. Dead leaves swirled in his wake. Before he knew about all the unseen for himself, those crunching, swirling leaves would have meant nothing more than a gust of wind. Now it was a symptom of a deeper, more beautiful universe teeming with life that Sam couldn't comprehend. Oh, his limited perception. It saddened Dean. He didn't care anymore that he was becoming a sentimental fool, a poet. It was a damn miracle considering all the evil sweeping the planet. He intended to hold onto those beautiful swirling leaves left in the wake of grace and of wings.

Stop staring, Dean. Your brother will ask questions.

The voice probing his brain startled him and he tripped over a rock. That was another lovely side effect of whatever changed in him. Both of them now had the ability to send thoughts to the other. They couldn't listen in without the intent to be heard, thank fuck, but it was a little bit like private walkie-talkies. Dean wondered if he somehow tuned into a lower frequency of angel radio, allowing him access to those nearby. So far, Castiel was the only one though.

Dean tested his strength as a telepath. He pictured the pair of them kissing under a tree--which tree?--yeah, that one across the meadow. Far away from Sam. Maybe he needed to take a leak. Maybe Castiel wouldn't let him go off alone. A few stolen minutes to indulge in that other little development since the Mark of Cain bolted off his arm. Not that Dean wanted to analyze that particular development in detail but he did enjoy testing how well he could send images. He squinted and pushed the pretty picture through the front of his mind in a wordless question.

Ah, there. Castiel shot him a look, though he couldn't seem to decide if he was nervous or intrigued.

Grinning, Dean was rather proud of himself for the effort and the result. He jerked his head toward the meadow. If Castiel knew how badly Dean wanted to have a kiss and run his hands over those silky wings again, he wouldn't have hesitated. Duty kept him going, though, headed toward the werewolf den for an easy kill to clear out the cobwebs and let them have a fresh start in fighting The Darkness. Oh yes, Dean wanted a piece of that black evil. But Castiel, he was just as tempting as spilling The Darkness' blood (if it even had any). Sometimes a timeout for pleasure cleared out Dean's cobwebs better than a clean kill or an old-fashioned salt and burn. His angel was still so new, so fresh to him as well.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" demanded Sam up ahead.

The verbal intrusion made Dean jump. "We didn't say anything."

"Bull. You two do that eye thing all the time now. I dunno what you're up to but if you don't think I can read a fucking map, then you do it." Annoyed, Sam threw his arm toward Dean with the hand drawn sketch crumpled in his hand.

"That's not--"

Castiel cleared his throat. "Our nonverbal condition isn't about your navigational skills. That's the truth."

"Then what the hell's going on? You sleeping together now?"

It was Dean's turn to clear his throat, which came out like a sputtering choke.

"Oh." For a moment, Sam stared in strange awe with his brow arched. "Okay, then. Carry on with the secret sex eyes." He shifted his shotgun from one eye to the other. "Let's hurry up and kill something."

Well, Dean thought, sighing to himself, it was better than having to explain his new sight before there was enough time to get his mind around it. He silently thanked the dim stars above and the bright angel walking beside him for not giving away his secret yet. It wasn't that he never wanted his brother let in on it. He just wanted time to figure it out for himself and Castiel had said before that he understood such a personal need. That was the first time he'd been given an opportunity to prove it.

"I gotta take a leak. Go on, Sammy. I'll catch up," said Dean.

The younger Winchester nodded and waved overhead, not looking back.

Dean didn't look back either. He veered off the narrow footpath and stepped over thick shrubbery toward the meadow. In the open, he carried his shotgun casually over his forearm and peered up at the sky. Blue of day had darkened into blue of evening, allowing faint glittery stars to pop through here and there. When The Darkness first appeared, the stars disappeared entirely for weeks because of the black, smoky air. Now, Dean stole glances whenever he could.

Behind him, Castiel followed. He didn't need to look back to feel the warmth.


End file.
